Why I love my Dad

As a child:
* He is the best dance partner for a little girl.

*He taught us how to eat fruit (bananas in a bowl with milk and sugar, strawberries with milk and sugar on bread, peaches with ice cream)

*He put on a tough face, but he was always the "softy"

* He liked taking family drives in the country.

* He knows all the words to Johnny Cash's, "A Boy Named Sue and a few other great songs.

As a teenager:
*He coached our sports.

* He cut my steak for me long after I learned how to use a knife.

* He insisted that there was nothing good going on after 10:00pm

* He gave good advice (even if we didn't always listen)

* He let us make our own mistakes.

*You just never knew what part of the house he'd be in around 2:00am

As a wife and mother:
* He gives the best wedding speeches.

* He shares my love of chips.

* He is sensitive, hardworking, and always willing to help.

* He entertains my husband and plays with my kids.

* He can fall asleep in a second, nap for 5 minutes and be good to go (this has actually amazed me my whole life).

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

After much discussion of what we should do today, Joel decided he wanted to spend Father's Day at the lake. We fished, played baseball, played soccer, played basketball, played bingo and other inside toys, played on the hammock, went for a family paddle boat ride, rode scooters, dug up worms, and even found time for a couple of snacks. It was a fun and busy afternoon! Kids just really don't care if it's warm or sunny at the lake. The boys had a blast today!

Must've been hard work!!

Maybe the wedding dance should be BEFORE the wedding

We went to my cousin's wedding today. Joel, Eli, Noah, Jen, Craig, Austin, Katelynn and I all piled in the van this afternoon just in time for some quality car naps. Krista and her 3 boys joined us in our row at the church. Joel and Craig took Noah and Austin out of the church about 5 minutes into the ceremony (maybe less). Katelynn was good, and I think watching us was good birth control for my cousin who decided to sit behind us. After the reception, we had a couple of hours before the dance started, so we decided to go visit my Grandma (lucky her). I don't know what was worse; the tornado the children brought inside the house or the threat of tornado outside the house (we had to take the kids into the basement for a few minutes).

We figured we'd only be at the dance long enough to say hi and give Austin a bottle, but Austin fell asleep which allowed us a little more time. It was actually Eli who was ready to go home. He and Joel sat in the van to watch a movie and wait for the rest of us, but I was able to bribe him to come back in with a snack and some pop. The rest of the kids had a blast dancing!

Noah was trying out his break dancing moves.

Grandpa took turns dancing with all the grandkids. Noah wouldn't let anyone else touch him on the dance floor.

Mud Puppy

It's true when they say you learn something new everyday. I had never even heard of a mud puppy until I was reading my friend Andrea's blog today, and she was saying that they were finding them while raking at the lake. YUCK!!!!! Anyway, I had to google them. I found out that they are mostly in Canada and the eastern US, but they can also be found in the Midwest. They stay in the water until night when they look for food. Mom, have you ever seen one at the lake???? What would Katelynn think of this?

Where'd Ei (Eli) Go????

Someone is ready for his big brother to come back and play with him. Although I must admit that I've been impressed with how well he's been playing by himself!

play date

The boys had fun playing at Jack and Ella's yesterday. Here they are making their teddy bear pizza's. Thanks Erin!

The zoo

I know; gross. Noah loved this turtle. When the kids would put their finger on the glass, the turtle would open his mouth. I guess thats when Noah decided to try it with his mouth, and it worked.
When we left, I asked Eli what his favorite part of the zoo was. He said, "That wasn't a zoo. It was a farm".
Katelynn and Noah were yelling at the camels telling them to get up.

at the park with Grandma Cathy

The boys had a lot of fun with their cousins this weekend! It was a short trip, but we were so glad to have everyone here!

Memorial Day Weekend

It was a great weekend at the lake! We didn't get much sleep, but we had lots of fun.
Sunday ended up being a beautiful day! The crazy kids even got in the water.

Noah the singer

Yesterday we woke up to him singing "Bob, Bob, Bob" to the tune of the wheels on the bus (its from a commercial we see all the time). Today I caught him on our bed looking in the bathroom mirror and singing into the end of a hanger. Later this morning, I took the boys to Walgreens to pick up a couple of things, so I put Noah in a stroller. As we made our way around a corner, he grabbed a tube of lipstick and started yelling into that (he really needs to learn some words to his songs). It was so funny!

American Idol 2025

Seriously, they were more entertaining than some of the acts on American Idol tonight, but we were pleasantly surprised by the ending!

Terrible Two's

BOOSTER CHAIR: not okay to use at the dinner table but perfect for snack

NAPTIME AND BEDTIME: runs the other way

OUTDOORS: throws a fit when it's time to come in, will not sit in a stroller unless it's Austin's

IN THE VAN: always wants to go (even wanted to leave with the guy who installed our blinds the other day); always throws a fit when it's time to get in the carseat

AT THE LAKE: thinks he should be able to walk on the dock by himself and will kick his shoes into the lake if he does not get his way. Anything more than a 5 minute pontoon ride is too long.

TARGET OR GROCERY SHOPPING: will only sit in the cart because Eli does, and constantly tries to climb out

NOT SO TERRIBLE
great eater
even better sleeper
loves to be outside
good car rider once he gets in his seat
could play at the lake all day
a sucker will always keep him occupied at least for a few minutes
He says "thanks" whenever you give him something
He says "what" whenever you say his name
He whispers "sorry" when he has done something wrong
He is always ready with a hug or a kiss
He loves to help

Weekend Fun

We got to watch my Dad's baseball team win on Friday night. The boys had fun eating Grandma's snacks, playing under the bleachers, and running the bases after the game.

Joel and Dad took the boys to town on Saturday, and they came home with this turtle which they found on the road.

Noah loved being outside. He was very busyat Grandma and Grandpa's!!!

Eli loved fishing. They didn't catch many, but he had fun anyway! He is getting quite good at casting.

What would you do???

We had a new experience at our house tonight. After being asleep for two hours, Eli woke up from a bad dream. Then, he continued to moan and groan leading to a trip to the bathroom and a half hour of complaining about how hungry he was. I'm sure he was hungry as he ate his usual one bite of supper. I don't know if it was the right thing to do, but I finally let him get up and have a bowl of cereal (10:30pm). When he was finished, he went right back to bed.

Look who we found at the park!!

We just happened to be meeting friends at the same park my dad was going to with his 5th graders!

Joel's new purchase

Does this mean I'm finally going to get some cable????

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!!! To all the wonderful mothers who read this forum, my very own mother Cathy, mother-in-law Connie, and my wonderful little mother/my wife/my everything Heidi. Her three boys(mainly me) prepared an omelet bar for made-to-order omelets and hash browns ready to go for her when she woke up. Eli gave her a really nice flower that he made in bible school this week. He was so excited as he has been keeping it a secret even from me all week! Noah is just glad he has his mommy to "hold you, hold you" all the time. I think our mommy is looking forward to a long day of shopping! (BTW...another strange ND tradition...all retail stores cannot open legally until noon on Sundays...even the 24x7 Fargo Super WalMart closes from 10:00 pm on Saturday until noon Sunday...this place just keeps getting stranger as I get deeper into the culture...)

We found Teddy!

This is Eli and his best friend, Teddy Hooper. Teddy joined our family when Eli was born although he sat with all of the other stuffed animals until bear week at preschool this past October. Since then, Teddy has been by Eli's side. They sleep together, read together, watch TV together, and sometimes Teddy even eats with us. His original name was Teddy Noah, but that changed a couple of months ago when "Noah" was replaced by a rodent from PBS Kids named" Hooper". Anyway, Eli didn't fall asleep during his nap yesterday, and by the time we got home from Bible School and got ready for bed last night, it was late. That is also when we realized that Teddy was missing. I spent an hour searching the house, but Teddy was nowhere to be found. Eli finally cried himself to sleep around 10:30 (it was probably a good thing he didn't take a nap), and I continued to look for Teddy. Today, Eli and I both searched the house. As I entered the playroom, I noticed the dump truck had some things in it, and that's when I remembered. Yesterday afternoon, Eli mentioned that Teddy didn't like riding in the back of the blue semi truck. I ran upstairs, and sure enough, Teddy was still in the back of the truck. Why didn't I think of that last night???? If Teddy didn't like riding in the back of the truck, why was he in there????

Bible School program

Eli and Katelynn had a little program after their last night of Bible School tonight. I know that these pictures aren't very good, but in the bottom picture Katelynn is in the front middle and Eli is next to her with his hand over his face. This is how they both stood during most of the program. They (the rest of the kids) did a cute sign language song as the last song. The teacher told us that Katelynn knew all of the actions. I pretty much just cried because I was laughing so hard at these two in the middle. I guess there was one other little girl who wouldn't even stand up. She kept the same look on her face during the whole program. It was hilarious!!!!

another day at the park

How many peanut butter sandwiches can they eat in one summer???

Da Walleyes Are Here, Ya!

I can finally take part in the ritual/unofficial Minnesota state holiday which is "The Opener". You see, here in Minnesota, opening weekend for walleye fishing occurs the second weekend in May. It is viewed as another legendary milestone in addition to "The Great Ice Off" (the date where the ice recedes from a person's respective lake shoreline and eventually disappears). I have never been able to take part in this ceremonius event, but that has all changed since I am an official Minnesotan again. My father-in-law and I will be attempting to take part in this heralded event at midnight on Friday. Unfortunately, neither of us have much intentional walleye catching experience, but I am hoping Captain Morgan can make it a productive trip in one way or another.

Panfish Pete

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Eli found this page of recipes in his National Geographic Kids magazine, and he really wanted to make the Mexican Sundae. We told him that we could have a Cinco De Mayo party with Craig and Jen and make all of the recipes. However, Joel wasn't too sure about the chicken with chocolate sauce, so I made chicken enchiladas and mexi-rice instead with molletes as appetizers. We had the party a day early because Eli and Katelynn are going to Bible School starting tonight.

The kids loved their Mexican sundaes. I'm not sure how much of the other stuff they ate, but the adults liked it.

Knife River Flint Found

Kluver--call for details.

Afternoon bike ride

We made the 2 1/2 mile trip to Craig and Jen's today. Noah was ready to be done with the stroller after a mile, but luckily his fight didn't last too long. He was good the rest of the time. Eli informed me that he was "running out of steam" during the last half mile, but he thought he was ready to ride back after supper. I decided it would be easier to let Craig drive us home. Thanks for the yummy food Craig and Jen (and the ride home)!!!

When Daddy is gone...

egg pancakes by the window
fun dip at 9:00am

chuck e cheeses

Today, the boys and I met up with my friends, Tonya and Erin and Erin's two kids, first at Erin's house, and then we moved to Chuck E Cheese's. Eli LOVED Jack and Ella's house and is requesting that Daddy would get to go next time. His favorite thing at Chuck E Cheese's was the tunnel. Thanks girls for coming over tonight. I had the best time!!!!! PS I owe you still

cheap entertainment

Craig, Austin and Katelynn met us at dinoland in the mall today. The special ordered size 8 extra wide sandals which will probably be too small by July that we went to the mall to pick up; not so cheap.

creamed spinach

For some strange reason, Eli has been asking for spinach (never had it before), so yesterday Joel found a recipe for creamed spinach. The two of them went to the grocery store to get everything they needed, and Joel went to work in the kitchen. Eli took one big bite, and I really wish I would've taken another picture as he was trying to choke it down. He made some of the best faces I've ever seen, and when he finally got the bite down, he said he liked it. Of course he did not want anymore. For the record, the rest of us liked it.

This is Stupid

View from the the living room window and out the front door, respectively (after I just shoveled 4 foot snowdrifts). Some of you may think this is a humorous post, but the patriarch of this family is not very happy about this situation whatsoever. Forecast for Ankeny, IA: 56* and sunny. Enough said.

The boys' favorite part of the house

2 weeks later, and we are still loving the laundry chute. A close second would be the huge crawl space. Where I'm sure someone will get hurt very soon!

Eli's question today

"Mom, when will I get to watch Playhouse Disney?' I guess we're waiting until Joel gets his new TV before we get any type of cable (could be a long wait). I spent 2 hours at the gym on Monday night just so I could watch Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill.